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Fusion energy: Progress, partnerships, and the path to deployment
Over the past decade, fusion energy has moved decisively from scientific aspiration toward a credible pathway to a new energy technology. Thanks to long-term federal support, we have significantly advanced our fundamental understanding of plasma physics—the behavior of the superheated gases at the heart of fusion devices. This knowledge will enable the creation and control of fusion fuel under conditions required for future power plants. Our progress is exemplified by breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility and the Joint European Torus.
J. D. Lee
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 26 | Number 1 | August 1994 | Pages 74-78
Technical Paper | Safety/Environmental Aspect | doi.org/10.13182/FST94-A30301
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Initial scoping analysis indicates that by using Type 304 stainless steel (SS), most of the vacuum vessel's structural mass in the HYLIFE-II inertial fusion energy power plant conceptual design could be disposed of by shallow burial. And, if all the structural components are mixed together and treated as one solid entity, all of it could be disposed of by shallow burial. Two other types of SS assessed, manganese-modified Type 316 SS and prime candidate alloy (PCA), were found to require disposal by deep geologic burial of most of the structural mass. The presence of niobium and molybdenum in manganese-modified Type 316 SS and PCA was found to dominate the generation of long-term wastes that contribute to the shallow burial index, and their presence should be avoided.